Department of Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC)

The issue of quality has been identified as the major issue confronting the higher education sector in the Medium Term Development Framework (MTDF). Therefore, to enhance the quality of output and efficiency of the higher education learning systems, a mechanism of establishment of QECs has been developed by the Quality Assurance Committee to improve the standards and quality of higher education in a systematic way with uniformity across the country. In 2006-07 the Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) have been initially established in ten public sector universities, and in 2007-08 twenty more QECs were established in the public sector universities for improvement of their academic, teaching and learning standards. The QEC family is being extended to another fifteen public sector, fifteen private sector universities in 2009-10 and twenty four in public sector universities in 2010-11.

Quality happens to have fundamental significance for the sustainability of human endeavors in the creation of both physical and social capital. In the contemporary world, quality of higher education is universally considered the most strategic variable for determining technological capability and progressive social transformation of a country. Quality of education imparted to the female youth of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (Pakistan) underscores WUAJ&K mission and vision. The university has always upheld this mission. The unwavering commitment of WUAJ&K personnel is amply reflected in complete and chronologically consistent record of students’ feedback. The latter is a treasured part of university’s archives on all courses offered during every semester, fall, winter and summer, since the first academic session started in 2014.Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) is part of WUAJ&K vision for sustaining and improving the quality of service delivery, in order to live up to the expectations of the stakeholders including students, teachers, parents, employers and, above all, the nation. As per directions of Higher Education Commission (HEC) the QEC was established at WUAJ&K in January 2016 and since then the quality related issues are being increasingly routed through this conduit, while simultaneously ensuring incremental, consistent, and sustainable expansion of the related measures. The Cell itself is part of the landmark initiative of Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan.

Functions of Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC)

The QEC is working in close collaboration with the Vice-Chancellor to perform the following salient functions:-

The Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) is to be headed by a Dean reporting directly to Vice- Chancellor. He is to be the correspondent with the outside bodies.

It is responsible for promoting public confidence that the quality and standards of the award of degrees are enhanced and safeguarded.

It is responsible for the review of quality standards and the quality of teaching and learning in each subject area.

It is responsible for the review of academic affiliations with other institutions in terms of effective management of standards and quality of programs.

It is responsible for defining clear and explicit standards as points of reference for the reviews to be carried out. It should also help the employees to know as to what they could expect from candidates.

It is responsible to develop qualifications framework by setting out the attributes and abilities that can be expected from the holder of a qualification, i.e. Bachelors, Bachelor with Honors, Master’s, M. Phil., and Doctoral.

It is responsible to develop program specifications. It sets the standards to clarifying what knowledge, understanding, skills and other attributes a student will develop on successfully completing a specific program.

It is responsible to develop quality assurance processes and methods of evaluation to affirm that the quality of provision and the standard of awards are being maintained and to foster curriculum, subject and staff development, together with research and other scholarly activities.

It is responsible to ensure that the university’s quality assurance procedures are designed to fit in with the arrangements in place nationally for maintaining and improving the quality of Higher Education.

QEC is responsible to develop procedures for the following:

Approval of new programs

Annual monitoring and evaluation that includes program monitoring, faculty monitoring, and student’s understanding.